The Aged | Gyuhao (Sequel to Youth)

- 16

| Chapter Sixteen — Infinite chances |

When Minghao opens his eyes, he feels like choking. He feels like screaming from the dull pain that constantly throbs throughout his body but he realizes his expression doesn't seem to show any one of those things when all that stimulates his skin is absolutely nothing. Instead, his face remains still, eyes opened and filled with tears.

"Oh shit." Minghao could recognize that voice anywhere, "Oh, fuck— Myungho!" Soonyoung falls to his knees beside the bed that Minghao just now realizes he's lying in. In fact, this whole room seemed familiar, "Oh my god, you had no idea how worried all—"

"Don't scream in his face. He just woke up," It's Junhui. Soonyoung and Junhui are both here before Minghao and it almost makes him nauseous.

No, it does make him nauseous.

Minghao shoots up from the bed, ignoring the pain in his body as he hunches over one side of the bed, having the amusing opportunity of watching Junhui scream like a child and jump away as soon as Minghao's guts begin to hit the floor.

Soonyoung hisses, "Fuck." He pats Minghao's hair, "It's okay— It's okay, let it out."

Minghao swallows, breathing heavily as he wipes at his mouth with the back of his sleeve, "What the hell are you 2 doing here?" He groans in disgust, sitting up to lean his back against the headboard, "Don't tell me you're throwing me back in jail."

"We should." Junhui scoffs, sighing shortly after, "But you don't abandon family." There's a pregnant pause before Junhui slaps Minghao's arm with so much force it makes him wheeze, "So why the hell did you disappear for almost a year?!" He shouts, "You broke our trio rule, húndàn!" He fans out in Mandarin. The sudden change of language makes Minghao chuckle a bit.

He missed this....

But this was too much— Wayyy too fast.

Minghao pushes the blankets off his body, face scrunching up at the horrid smell of vomit. He tries to move— tries to get up and leave but Soonyoung and Junhui reel him back into reality.

"You're still healing." Soonyoung tells him, lying him back down on the bed, "Don't move."

Minghao takes a shaky breath, placing his hand on top of his stomach where he'd been shot. He can just but barely feel the dull ache of the stab wound beside his spine as well.

"Where am I?" He asks, free hand playing with the ruby bedsheets below—

Ruby.

Ruby bedsheets—

This was Mingyu's room.

Minghao shoots up, head flying from the left to the right— up and down— every single direction you could think of, "Why—" He swallows, heartbeat erratic, "Why am I—"

"Mingyu-ssi said it's the safest place for you to be right now." Junhui says.

"Mingyu?" Minghao's head is fuzzy. He shakes his head at the blow of memories that suddenly shoot him through the head like a gunshot, "No." He hums, trying to get out of bed again, "I can't be here, you don't understand—"

"Stop." Junhui presses him down firmly, "Just let us go get him, okay? Everything's gonna be fine."

Mingyu shakes his head but watches Soonyoung and Junhui leave the room, nonetheless. He can faintly hear the sound of a lock clicking, and he can only assume they've locked him inside so he doesn't try to escape.

Minghao's head darts towards the window.

Ignoring the thrum of his wounds, he hauls himself out of bed, groaning as his hands find the underside of the glass.